Global Warming
"A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made."
John McCain VP and conservative queen Sarah Palin had that to say during an interview with Newsmax. While I cannot single-out Palin--this uninformed view on global warming is shared by an alarming number of GOP politicians--her jaw-dropping statement kindled my feelings on global warming.
Global warming is, undoubtedly, one of the more urgent challenges the human race has ever faced. Before I go into the politics of the crises, though, we should look at some key facts of the movement.
1. Global warming IS happening: Since 1880, average temperatures around the world have risen 1.4 degrees, with the most drastic rate of this rise occurring in recent decades. The last two decades, in fact, are the hottest decades in the last 400 years, with some data suggesting them the hottest of the millennium; and, the last 11 of 12 years have been the hottest since 1850.
2. Greenhouse gases, man: So what's causing this huge swing in temperatures? A little thing called the greenhouse effect.
Global warming, at its most basic root, results from an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the most popular of these gases, accounting for half of the greenhouse gases. Together, the different greenhouse gases produce what is known as “The Greenhouse Effect,” a process where solar radiation from the sun is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thus re-radiating heat in multiple directions and back towards the earth.
Now, the Earth requires the greenhouse effect to retain solar radiation and hospitalize its inhabitants; however, too much of these gases have a negative affect. Though all gases have witnessed a rise, carbon dioxide output in particular has increased, and what the increase in greenhouse gases does is maintain a greater percentage of solar radiation, leading to--you guessed it--more heat exposure to the earth's surface and a rise in temperatures.
3. Save the Polar Bears!: While the entire earth will be affected by global warming, the arctic regions are the serious panic zones. Areas such as Alaska (where Palin IS governor), western Canada, and eastern Russia have seen average temperatures rise at twice the global average, creating serious obstacles to wildlife. Polar bears, in fact, are one step away from the endangered species list, as the rapidly melting ice in the arctic regions are drowning the poor polar bears.
And here's a comforting thought: by 2040, arctic regions could be ice-free. This leaves us with two possibilities. The first and obvious effect is rising sea levels, which would be a dream for areas on the coast. The second and more frightening scenario involves the sun. Currently, the icy arctic regions act as a giant piece of tanning aluminum for the earth, reflecting the sun's more harmful rays back to the solar system. Once this ice melts, however, scientists predict that we could essentially bake under the unchecked, unreflected power of the sun. Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!
It IS our fault
Now for the politics. Most if not all of global warming has been a result of modern human stupidity. Industrialization, deforestation, and pollution have greatly increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases beyond the amount of plants and oceans we have to absorb the gases. Alarmingly, we are so ahead of these plants/oceans that even if we became a carbon-free society overnight, the earth would STILL continue to warm, as several years will be needed for the atmosphere to stabilize. Clearly, Palin is dead-wrong on this issue and she is now two for two as far as idiocy goes with science.
Yet, even with this avalanche of evidence, we are stuck with a leader who has refused to listen to warnings of climate change and even censored scientists who dared speak out of the potential results (*cough* Katrina *cough*).
See: Dr. James Hansen, a NASA scientist and expert on climate change who has been studying global warming for over 30 years. Basically, throughout 2005 and 2006, Hansen was pressured by NASA officials per the orders of Dick Cheney and possibly Dubya to censor his material on climate change and soft pedal what he saw as the reasons for the change.
"In my more than three decades in the government I've never witnessed such restrictions on the ability of scientists to communicate with the public," Hansen said. And the censorship didn't stop there. Those same NASA officials were given clearance to scour Hansen's lectures, articles, journal entries, and even BLOG POSTINGS for potentially incriminating charges.
This is an obvious and infuriating assault on free speech, and its implications add more negative baggage to the GOP's stance on science.
Preponderance preshmonderance
Let's look at this as scientists, shall we? Skepticism is a scientist's best friend. As I described the scientific process in my first entry on science regarding creationism, recent discoveries and hypotheses are welcomed with skepticism and doubt, as fellow members of the science community attempt to disprove their comrade's findings and, in the process, strengthen the hypotheses and develop a more full contribution to science on a whole.
That is the formula UNTIL a certain word pops up in correlation with certain ideas: preponderance of evidence. Once there is a preponderance, or, overwhelming supply of evidence, to support an idea, it becomes more trusted by the scientific community and there is generally less skepticism.
Evolution is supported by a preponderance of evidence.
Cell theory is supported by a preponderance of evidence.
Global warming is supported by a preponderance of evidence!
So why does the Bush administration censor documents, bully scientists, and hide data from congress to avoid potentially game-changing legislation? Oil and, of course, religion!
The oil angle is self-explanatory: carbon emissions are propelled by oil-driven cars, and some of Bush's more ardent supporters have come from citizens of Big Oil. I'm not one to cry conspiracy theory, but the non-action and laziness of the Bush administration regarding global warming is shocking--even by his standards.
The religion angle is what happens when a stupid man becomes a Jesus freak.
Dubya is, without a doubt, the most jesusfied president in the history of our country. Of course, some of our early leaders were devout worshipers of the deity, but they had one intense difference in mind when they drafted the constitution: SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!!! Despite being god-fearing men, early pioneers like Adams were vigilant in their opposition to theocracies, and this was a civics lesson that George W. Bush obviously skipped out on during his days at Yale (my guess is he was busy snorting coke and/or drinking beer).
The Bush White House is like a Sunday School retreat, with the building honey-combed in numerous areas with bible study-sessions and prayers and passages abound. The reason this is so dangerous with someone like Dubya is, as previously mentioned, the man's rather limited mental abilities.
If George Bush is perfectly content thinking that a celestial being rules over the universe like a holy Kim Jong-il, fine, but it should stop there. I hate to break to you, Mr. President, but God is not going to stop Hurricane Gustav, just like he was unable to stop Hurricane Katrina. Once again, I'm sorry to have to admit this, Mr. President, but God is not going to calm the Iraqi insurgents and create magical peace between the Sunni and Shia factions of the Islam faith. I hate to be blunt, Mr. President, but God is not going to do your job for you!!!
The last seven-plus years have been an exercise in religious doctrine, an uncomfortable combination of governing and dogma where prayer and faith are a more reasonable way to lead than policy and expertise. This simplistic view of the world has been a disastrous pigeon-hole to the American scientific community, and this ignorance is something I'll explore with more depth in my next note on stem-cell research.
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